yağlı güreş

Oil wrestling (Turkish:yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil.

The olive oil is applied to every inch of the body and is designed to prevent your opponent getting any sort of grip as you grapple. To win, you need to flip your opponent on to his back.

The wrestlers, known as pehlivan (meaning “hero” or “champion”) wear a type of hand-stitched leather pants called a “kispet” (, which is traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently has been made of calfskin.